Do I need freeholder consent for a bathroom in a flat?
Usually, yes — most leases require a licence to alter for works touching services, waterproofing or floor build-up, which a bathroom renovation nearly always does. It is a contract question, not a council one, and starting without consent risks having to undo finished work. We produce the licence pack as part of the job.
A lease typically distinguishes 'like-for-like repair' (allowed) from 'alterations' (consent required), and bathroom renovations straddle the line: replacing a basin is repair; moving one, altering pipe runs into shared stacks, changing floor build-ups or creating new wet areas are alterations. Managing agents for the mansion blocks of Beckenham and Wimbledon Park, and the riverside towers everywhere, police this actively.
The licence-to-alter process wants drawings, a specification, contractor insurance certificates and sometimes a deposit against damage to common parts. It typically takes two to six weeks and costs the freeholder's reasonable fees. Annoying — and far cheaper than the alternative, which is a freeholder discovering unconsented works at your sale and holding the transaction hostage.
Two lease clauses to check early because they change designs: floor-covering covenants (many blocks require carpet or acoustic underlay standards that affect tiled bathroom floors — acoustic matting under tile answers it), and prohibitions on cutting the structural slab (which converts wetroom ambitions into low-buildup former designs). We read the lease's alterations clauses at survey stage for every flat job.
More in regulations & practicalities, or browse all 38 questions on the FAQ index.
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